Louisiana House Kills Explicit Sex-Ed

Louisiana’s House of Representatives has struck down a bill that would have mandated explicit sex-education curriculum in public schools across the state starting in 4th grade.

House Bill 529 was voted down 67-23. The bill states that public sex education would promote “healthy attitudes concerning … body image, gender roles, [and] sexual orientation,” and called for a curriculum teaching sexual abstinence along with “the importance of effectively using contraceptives and barrier methods.”

The defeat leaves state-authorized sex education optional for each school district, many of which currently utilize an abstinence-based approach to sex education.

While advocates of the bill pointed to Louisiana’s high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, particularly among teenagers, one Republican lawmaker maintained that such material should be taught within a family setting, rather than “some bureaucratic program.”

“Why not leave that to the parents?” asked State Rep. Hunter Greene, according to The Advocate.

Connect

Most Popular

CE Shop

This page is having a slideshow that uses Javascript. Your browser either doesn't support Javascript or you have it turned off. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser.